1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method, and a computer-readable medium. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement of efficiency in the case where encryption is designated for a document that can be printed by variable data printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As printing systems for the POD (print on demand) market are becoming widely used, variable data printing that customizes a print document for each customer and performs printing has been attracting attention. With the variable data printing, personal sales promotion suitable for each person using customer data can be performed. In order to perform the variable data printing, a database in which personal information for each customer and the like are gathered, and a template to which actual content data present in the database is inserted (hereinafter, referred to as a “document template”) are necessary. The document template is designed by combining a portion in which content data inserted at the time of printing is not changed (hereinafter, referred to as a “fixed area”), and a portion in which content data inserted at the time of printing is changed for each record in the database (hereinafter, referred to as a “variable area”). Furthermore, at the time of printing, the content data is inserted to each area for each record registered in the database, and, thus, print data for each customer is created from the print document, and actually printed. In this manner, the variable data printing is performed using a database in which customer information (content data) is registered, and a document template based on which a design of a printed result is determined. Furthermore, in the case of a print document relating to customer information in this manner, security has to be sufficiently considered such that the personal information is not leaked. Meanwhile, it is also necessary to make an arrangement to show how the designed result will be printed.
Conventionally, techniques are disclosed that prevent personal information from being leaked without changing layout information. A technique is disclosed that performs encryption after separating layout data and personal information, and performs decryption at the time of output (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-159029, for example). Furthermore, a technique is disclosed that performs a masking process on the variable area, thereby protecting personal information and the like without damaging layout information (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-209663, for example).
Conventionally, a function to perform encryption without changing layout information is provided. However, in the case where a plurality of variable areas are present, and content data in a database is inserted to the plurality of variable areas, there are problems where incomplete designation occurs in encryption of the variable areas and in which effort is required to perform designation. Furthermore, unnecessary encryption wastes the time required to perform encryption and decryption.